Eden Fowler, a musician from Summer Bay, is a person who Stephanie Panozzo would dearly like to be friends with.
She describes the character she has been portraying on Home And Away for the past year as being “so much cooler than I am.”
She is entertaining, fiery, fiercely loyal, and she always manages to make people laugh. I adore her for that very reason. She is so much fun and wears her heart on her sleeve. Go to Eden’s if you want a nice time tonight.
Panozzo acknowledges that she has slightly altered her appearance to reflect Eden.
“My personal closet is so uninteresting. I ask myself, “Why don’t I consider purchasing this kind of stuff?” when I observe Eden. She exclaims, “It’s so cool,'” and adds that she has even purchased some of her character’s attire for herself.
Panozzo is not a newbie to acting. She landed her first job while a student at Waapa (Western Australian Academy Of Performing Arts), appearing in the 2016 suspense film Hyde & Seek starring Matt Nable, Emma Hamilton, and Deborra-Lee Furness. She went on to play parts in the critically praised Australian thriller The Newsreader from a year ago as well as the Lucy Lawless-starring My Life Is Murder.
Her career, however, came to a grinding halt in 2020 when she became entangled in the Melbourne pandemic lockdown, which forced her to play the occasional gig, work in the restaurant industry, and serve as a receptionist.
Ironically, a case of Covid also almost put an end to a lifelong desire to be a part of the cast of Home And Away.
In order to hedge her bets, Panozzo tried out for both Kirby (who was ultimately played by Angelina Thomson) and Eden when the casting process for Summer Bay’s band Lyrik began. Panozzo had already made multiple unsuccessful auditions for the long-running drama.
“I had a slight throat ache a few days prior to the audition and took a (Covid) test, which came back negative, but the day before I had to go for the audition, it came back positive, and I was certain I had lost the chance. I was completely disappointed,” she admits, adding that the audition was ultimately accepted by Zoom.
“The chemistry read with Remi’s actor, Adam Rowland, went well, but I still felt unprepared. But I succeeded, which shocked me but made me extremely grateful.
Panozzo has always made music, and singing in particular, a significant part of his life.
In high school, I participated in musicals and dabbled in the piano and guitar. I fell in love with acting in that way, she claims.
“I think Eden is probably the most similar to who I am and what I love doing in terms of the musical things, out of all the roles I have auditioned for on Home And Away. It really is a blessing.
Eden is the bassist for Lyrik, and according to Panozzo, she is still learning how to play the instrument despite not having any prior experience.
When Lyrik performs, viewers can hear Matt Evans (who plays lead singer Theo), Thomson, Rowland, and Panozzo in real life.
She says, “I have learned so much since being on the show,” adding that Home And Away has provided fantastic possibilities. “Sometimes on some songs, I’ve asked to have the bass part simplified, but I have learned so much since being on the show,” she says.
“Working on your craft every day is really a blessing since, as an actor, you frequently switch between several professions. Every day that I get to get up and do what I love makes me feel so fortunate.
She enjoys interacting with fans, unlike other actors.
“I’ve been somewhat recognized. People occasionally glare a little bit longer than usual when I’m doing something, like grocery shopping, Panozzo adds.
“However, when it comes to people approaching me, I adore it because I get to meet people I never would have otherwise. I get to interact with them and learn about their experiences.
I encourage people to approach me and introduce themselves because “the show has been a part of their life in some form or big way for a long time.”
